


Close

by purglepurglepurgle



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Future Fic, Gen, crackfic, creative financing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-06-24 08:30:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19719991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purglepurglepurgle/pseuds/purglepurglepurgle
Summary: Cid Highwind is woken by screams in the night, and encounters a couple of fugitives. Apparently, the Shinra want them dead...Set 20 years in the future (an improbable future). Crackfic, but in the oldfashioned sense of the term, not the "Guy Fieri teams up with Hogwarts' Giant Squid to fight crime" sense of the term. Not that there's anything wrong with that; just don't want to get your hopes up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone writes the fic I mention in the summary, I will definitely read it. Bonus points if it involves 'I'll come with you'; 'how can you, you're a squid?'; 'aw, shucks, you're right'
> 
> This is a fic I've had bouncing around in my brain since December. I'm finally writing it so I can move on with my life. Enjoy!

Cid was drifting off to sleep when he heard shouts from outside.

"Get away from me!" A woman's voice.

"End of the road, kid! Any final words?" A man, gleeful.

"Help! Someone, help!" A woman screamed.

Cid sat up in bed. "What the &^%$?"

He stumbled down the steps of the Rocket Town inn. AVALANCHE had made it their 'temporary' base, all those years ago, after meteorfall-- they'd meant to leave once they'd got their lives in order, but somehow they'd ended up never moving on, and before they knew it, 20 years had passed. Cid had a separate residence in Rocket Town, with Shera, but he wound up spending most of his time at the inn. The others were there.

As he opened the front door, stepping out into the night, shadows leapt up and down in front of him. A hundred yards down the village path, the flaming wreck of a jeep burned at the roadside, filling the air with thick smoke. Sparks flickered and hissed. In the combination of the firelight and the hazy gaslamps that lined the street, Cid could see the silhouettes of a woman-- no, two women-- and a man, fighting next to the jeep.

"Shut up and come with me!" A man with spiky hair and a cigarette between his teeth grabbed one of the women by the elbow. He dragged her back up the village path. Her pale arm stuck out at an unnatural angle; it looked like it hurt.

"Let me go!" She struggled against him. Cid realised she wasn't a woman, but a girl, 17, maybe, with short dark hair. She kicked, swearing, but the man was too strong.

"Let her go!" The other woman was trying, hopelessly, to wrestle the younger girl free, her black hair in her eyes.

"Hey!" Cid shouted. "The *^£^%'s going on here?"

The man turned to look at Cid. Cid suddenly realised the man was wearing the navy suit of the Turks.

"Shit!" The cigarette dropped out of the man's mouth. He took a step back. "It's _AVALANCHE_!" He shoved the girl away. As she stumbled and fell to the floor, he ran off down the village path.

Cid threw a bolt spell after the man, but missed. He didn't pursue; the girl might be hurt.

"You okay?" He went to help her up, but the other woman already had her hands under the girl's armpits, hoisting her to her feet.

"Oh, yes, thak you!" The girl beamed at him. She flipped her chin-length brown hair out of her face. He was reminded of Yuffie, when they'd first met-- though this girl was paler, taller, and apparently worse at wrangling with Turks. " _Great_ timing!" Her strong Midgar accent stood out; he hadn't heard one in a while, this far across the world.

"What was that about?" he asked, looking around warily. In his experience, the Turks travelled in packs.

"Hm, where to start?" The girl shivered. It was cold, and she was wearing a short skirt and denim jacket. Midgar clothes. "Ok, so--"

"Lea, could we find somewhere warm, first?" The older woman brushed some dirt off the younger girl's jacket. She herself was more suitably dressed, in black trousers and a long coat. Cid had assumed they were sisters, at first, but the older woman was part-Wutaian from the looks of it, and their voices were nothing alike. "You'll freeze to death out here." Her accent was impossible to identify.

The girl, Lea, shrugged. "Sure, but I have no idea where the hotel is. The map was in the jeep." She jabbed a manicured index finger in the direction of the burning wreck. She turned back to Cid. "Er, don't suppose you know where the nearest hotel is, Mr... ?"

"Cid," said Cid, holding out a hand. She shook it vigorously; he was surprised by how cheerful she seemed, given she'd just been attacked.

 _Brave kid_...

Or maybe it was just shock. Still, he was relieved he didn't need to attempt any consoling. He never knew what to say. "You not got a place to stay?" he asked. Practical stuff, he could handle.

Lea shook her head. "It's a long story."

Cid didn't have to think it over. "Come with me, then." He pointed up the road, toward the inn. "That was Shinra chasing you, right? Any enemy of the Shinra's a friend of mine, lemme tell you."

Lea giggled. "Oh, _thank you_! You really are a darling! Isn't he a darling, Rise?"

The other woman wasn't smiling. "Take it seriously, can't you? This isn't a game. You could get badly hurt."

Lea sighed. "Sorry. This doesn't seem real. Cid... of AVALANCHE..."

Rise let out an exasperated sigh.

"You've heard of me?" said Cid, surprised.

"Who hasn't?" said Lea, patting Rise's arm. "So... you're a pilot, right? Highwind, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, s'right." A decade ago, he would've expected to be recognised sometimes, but those times had passed. Or so he'd thought.

"An aptonym," said Lea, scuffing her shoes on the gravel path. "As dad would say."

"Lea!" warned the older woman.

"What?" Lea shook her head. "Come on, he's rescuing us, he's safe."

Cid showed them into the inn. They stopped in the hallway.

"Oh, but this is _tiny_!" Lea sounded thrilled.

Cid was surprised; this was huge, as Rocket Town dwellings went. And Rocket Town dwellings were normally bigger than Midgar dwellings, unless you could shell out for a mansion above-plate.

"So, what was that about your old man?" said Cid, wondering if it was someone he’d heard of. He wasn't interested in getting reward-money-- that was more Yuffie's gig; Cid preferred to help people because it was the decent thing to do, and AVALANCHE had made more than enough gil farming gold chocobos all those years ago. But he was curious about how the girl had got on the wrong side of the Shinra, and where she fit in the world.

"Ah, so..." Lea unbuttoned her jacket in the warmth of the hall. The glow of the lamplight was reflected in her eyes; they were the deep, dark green of the local pines. "That's kind of the reason we're here." She leaned back against the wall, knocking a painting askew behind her head. "So, dad works for Shinra. He's a manager, I guess. But he keeps making enemies. Like, one time, he pissed off the wrong person, and they got the presidential helicopter to blow him into the water at Costa Del Sol. He gets in fights over policies, and stuff, annoys the bigwigs-- it's been tricky for a while, but it finally came to a head. He pissed off the wrong people-- we're talking Director-level. Soooo, I got some death threats." Lea picked at a thread that was coming loose from her jacket. "Aaaand then a death... gun. The assassin missed, but dad got spooked, and he sent me to Wutai for a bit, with Rise to look after me, to wait it out."

"Whoa," said Cid.

"But we were attacked," said the other woman, Rise, quickly. "Turks. Got away, changed vehicles, made it this far-- but they caught up to us as we reached town."

"And then _you_ found us!" Lea beamed. "We're ever so lucky, aren't we?"

"We're in your debt," said Rise, stiffly.

Cid shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Don't worry about it." He suppressed a yawn; he was far from bored by their story, but the hour had caught up with him. "Sounds like you've had a night. Damsels in distress... well, like something out of a storybook, can't ignore something like that." He yawned again. "But, if it's all the same to you-- it's 2am. You'll be safe here, we got all of AVALANCHE in this building, the Shinra won't try anything-- but, I gotta get some sleep."

Rise nodded. "I understand."

"Umm..." Lea was looking at the front desk, lips pressed together. "I just realised-- Rise, do you have your wallet? Because _my_ bag was..."

Rise groaned. "... in the jeep. So was mine. Shit."

The women looked at each other.

"I've got my card," said Lea, patting her pocket. "But Shinra will have cancelled it, almost certainly. I suppose we could still try it--"

"Is this about paying for a room?" said Cid. He glanced at the desk; there was noone there, but there was a bell. The concierge would be thrilled to be woken at this hour. Cid sighed. He supposed he was already awake now anyway... "Okay, tell you what. Here's my key." He held out the small plastic rectangle to Lea. "You two can use my room for the night."

"Ooh, really?" Lea leaned forward, then paused. "Oh, but what about _you_?"

"I've got a place I can stay-- my house, actually, long story-- a ways up the road, it's fine. So, you take my room, and we'll sort it out in the morning. If you need somewhere to stay longer... AVALANCHE can cover it. It's what we're for."

"The inexhuastible bank of AVALANCHE!" Lea grinned, taking the room card. "It _is_ real! But thank you, that would be _amazing_ \--"

"Bed might be rumpled." Cid was already regretting it as he recalled the three bottles of gin on the bedside table and the-- oh, shit, what was the last channel he'd used on the TV? "I mean-- I didn't expect anyone else-- just, if I'd known it... Normally, I give folks _tea_ ," he finished, awkwardly. He wondered if it were too late to rescind. Lea clasped the room key, tight.

"Thank you," said Rise, with a perfunctory bow. "We are grateful for your hospitality at this time."

"Do the rooms here have cable?" asked Lea, bending the room card between her fingers so far it almost snapped.

"And _you_ ," Rise turned to her, eyes narrowed, and plucked the room card from her hand, "are going _straight_ to bed."

"But I'm not even _tired_!" said Lea.

"You have had a very traumatic day," Rise reminded her. "You were almost kidnapped. Please try to _remember_ that."

Lea scowled, kicking the skirting board. "Oh, fine... though I'm sure there's something about people getting adrenaline in situations like this, getting a second wind, you know? I don't think it's unheard of. And I really won't be able to sleep. You'll have to put up with me humming to myself, or whatever else I fancy. Oh, now _there_ 's a thought." She winked at Rise. Rise turned away from her, face blank.

"What time would you like your key back?" Rise asked Cid.

"Let's say midday."

And so, details settled, the women headed up to bed, and Cid started the long walk home.

As he trudged back, he didn't notice the man in the navy suit watching him from the shadow of the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Tifa headed for the inn's breakfast room, her head aching from a lack of rest. She'd been up late hunting monsters in the local area, and she'd been looking forward to a lie-in. Instead, she'd been wrenched out of sleep by a howl of laughter from downstairs. The sound had ricocheted off every surface, tapered to a point, and punched straight through her eardrums into her brain. There was no sleeping after that. Descending the stairs, now, she was assaulted by another giggle. She wondered if it were one of Reeve's children, come to visit. AVALANCHE were expecting a visit any week now. She had been bracing herself. Reeve had so many children, Tifa had lost count, a noisy, indistinguishable mass. They were all equally curly-haired and scruffy, knocking things over and making things sticky, and _constantly_ asking 'why?'

She made herself breathe.

So many people had children, these days. Even _Vincent_ had managed it. He was in Junon, now, making a new life with the mother, a woman Tifa had never met and found impossible to imagine. He was lousy at keeping in touch. They'd received a single postcard, 'Baby born; is small', and nothing since. There had been no return address. Over the course of a night of drinking, AVALANCHE had agreed to fly over and hammer on every door in the port town until they found him, but somehow years had already slipped by without a visit. Meanwhile, Cloud had his accidental son, of _course_. And _Marlene_ was a mother of two. Even Rufus bloody Shinra had a daughter, with cold blue eyes and hair as blonde as her father's-- though long, like that of some imperious doll. She'd be the same age Tifa had been when Sephiroth had burned down everything she knew, and had stolen her chance of ever having children of her own. Did Shinra ever think about that?

_Of course not._

She ran her finger over the scar. She noticed Cid's goggles hanging over the end of the bannister. Cid and Shera had also had a child, briefly, and now Cid spent most of his time out of their house. In certain moods, Tifa was even envious of _them_.

She remembered Shera, now, folding up the cot for the last time, and shivered. Tifa knew she was being stupid.

She reached the lobby. She saw two unfamiliar faces. Sitting on the sofas, there was an older, tired-looking Wutaian woman, and a teen girl with red-brown hair. Tifa closed her eyes in annoyance. She'd have to go through the lobby to reach the breakfast room; she'd hoped at least to have her breakfast without having to _talk_ to anyone. No chance with these loud strangers there. _Why_ were they here, of all places? This was meant to be AVALANCHE's space...

"But Dodd was good, wasn't he?" The girl's voice was brash, Midgar, grating. She twirled a cushion round in her hands.

"I thought he was a bit hammy, myself." The woman looked at her watch. As she did so, the morning concierge walked in, ready to start his working day.

_Maybe they know one of the night staff, and they'll all leave together at the end of their shift?_

The concierges changed over. The night staff left. But the pair stayed put.

"Aw, come on, Rise, give him a break." The girl threw the cushion at the older woman, missed, and it fell on the floor, to pick up all the dust left in the week since the planks had last been swept. "I was nearly scared!"

"Sure you were." The older woman picked the cushion up, patted the cover, and kept ahold of it.

"Can I help you?" Tifa cut in. Better get it over with.

"Ah, it's fine, we're just waiting for Cid." The girl's familiarity annoyed Tifa. She looked Tifa up and down, gaze lingering on her chest. She nudged her companion, Rise.

Tifa felt her temper catch. She'd worked as a barmaid; she recognised that nudge. She forced herself to stay civil. "Are you friends of Cid's?" Cid befriended all sorts. They wouldn't be the first mangy strays he'd picked up.

The girl shook her head. "Nah, he just offered us his room because we're on the run from the Shinra--"

" _What_?"

" _Lea_!" the Wutaian woman snapped.

Before Tifa could get her bearings, the inn door clattered open, and Cid ambled in, in a cloud of cigarette smoke-- just to make Tifa's morning even better. He waved at the strangers; the girl waved back; the older woman nodded. Within a few minutes, they had explained the situation.

"... So, we've kind of got nowhere to go," finished the girl, Lea, with an embarrassed grin. Something about her story felt off to Tifa, though she couldn't pinpoint why. She wondered if they were scammers. Lea leaned back on the sofa, stretching her arms across the top. "No money, no transport, nothing!" She shrugged, with a jovial 'what can you do?' expression.

"Wait a sec," said Cid. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"Good question," said Lea. "Plan was to get to Wutai, but..."

Tifa wondered if they were hoping to bum a ride on the Highwind. That would fit.

"And when you get there?" said Cid.

"Hide in the hills?" Lea shrugged again. "We didn't plan it out, much. Kinda needed to move, pronto."

"That's no good," said Cid. "Right, you two, you stay here, with us. If anyone can protect you from the Shinra, it's us."

"You really mean it???" said Lea. Tifa thought she was far too effusive.

"We have no means of paying," said Rise, more cautiously.

"Don't matter. It's not about the money."

"Awesome!" A platinum charm bracelet on Lia's wrist glittered as she clapped her hands together.

"We are forever in your debt." Rise gave a stiff bow.

"Cid, could I have a word?" Tifa pulled him to one side. At the foot of the stairs, out of earshot of the strangers, she muttered under her breath, "Do you _believe_ them? What if they just want a free hotel stay? The girl seems pretty relaxed about it all."

From the sofa, there was a loud cackle of laughter from Lea.

"Nah," said Cid, glancing over. "That's an act. Shinra's up to no good, I'm sure of it." The cigarette behind his ear seemed to nod in agreement as he bent his head. "An' even if they were just homeless-- well homeless folks need a home, same as anyone. But they're telling the truth. There was a Turk after 'em. Saw him myself."

They headed back over to their guests. Tifa still felt uneasy.

"It's way cool to meet, you, by the way," said Lea, nodding at Tifa. "Tifa Lockhart… When I was a kid, I totes wanted to join AVALANCHE; I figured if we took down the company, dad wouldn’t have to work such long hours. Dad said it didn’t work like that… but he got me a poster; it’s soooo dorky, can’t believe I’m telling you-- but I had you in my room for years!”

“Uh huh...” said Tifa.

“He said I had to keep it secret from the Turks, though, or they’d arrest me.” Lea grinned; Tifa thought it sounded too plausible to be funny. Lea continued, “But yeah, dad said he shared a ride with you, once or twice."

Tifa frowned, trying to recall meeting any Shinra managerial staff, then vaguely remembered a man in a dark suit on the Midgar train, all those years ago, whom Barret had threatened with his gunarm. Barret had threatened many people in those days, but the Shinra Manager had been the only one who had refused to give up his seat. She smiled, sadly. It felt like a different lifetime.

Fifteen minutes later, it was settled. AVALANCHE would pay for a room for the women, for as long as they needed it, so they could stay safe.

"We'll make ourselves useful," promised Rise.

To Tifa's surprise, the promise was half-met. Well, Lea was hopeless; it turned out she had no fighting skills and no magic, as Tifa found out on one of her routine hunting trips. She discovered the girl had followed her in secret, when a wolf ran straight at the younger girl and almost bit her leg off.

"Hunting is _dangerous_ ," Tifa had said, through gritted teeth, as she showered Lea with cure spells, dragging her away from the carcass of the wolf before it attracted more.

"I just wanted to see it, I've never seen a monster in person before."

Which Tifa thought was the absolute stupidest reason for sneaking along on a hunting trip. Rise had come running, eyes blazing, and hadn't let Lea out of her sight since.

Rise, Tifa grudgingly had to admit, was indeed useful. For one thing, she could lift. Sometimes, Rise and Lea would fetch firewood; only Rise seemed capable of carrying more than one log at a time, but the logs were thick and sturdy, the kind that Tifa herself would retrieve. Tifa caught sight of Rise's arms, once: scarred, muscular, taut.

_She trains_

Lea saw her looking. "Oh, I know, she's _gorgeous_ , isn't she? Well, I'm spoiled." She cocked a pencilled-in eyebrow at Tifa, and moved so close that Tifa could see the dark lines of her contact lenses. "Surrounded by beautiful women! Rise is far too professional... but there are worse ways to be in hiding."

Tifa looked away. She could do without strange girls flirting with her in her own home.

"But, firewood, _honestly_ ," Lea continued. "This town seriously needs a mako reactor."

Tifa left the room before she pummeled Lea with a dolphin.

The pair got easier to endure, as time went on. Tifa didn't see too much of Lea, mercifully; the girl normally spent her days helping Cid in his workshop.

"He's straight-up, you know?" she said, on a rare occasion when they ended up in the lobby at the same time. "I can't do subtle people. I never pick up on hints." Lea laughed; Tifa managed a stiff smile. Not only was Lea in her way, but Lea's boots were caked in dirt, and it was steadily flaking off onto the hallway rug. Not that Lea noticed; instead, she continued happily, "But yeah, I did some engineering at school, and I didn't understand any of it, but ol' Cid makes it actually clear. He shows what you _use_ it for; helps you remember. Kind of wish I could be a mechanic, now." She sighed.

"Can't you?" said Tifa, resigning herself to a full conversation. The girl was obviously in a chatty mood.

Lea shook her head. "Aside from the whole 'being in hiding' thing, I can't take a job like that. Have to go to the Elite Academy, even though I'm a total dumbass and I'm gonna flunk every subject. It's Expected of Me, you know?"

Tifa didn't know. She supposed Midgar-rich was different to Nibelheim-rich; in Nibelheim, a Mayor's daughter could double-up as a tour guide happily enough. "It sounds hard," she said, noncommittally.

Lea mimed putting a gun to her head, but she didn't look too upset about it. "No explosions, no silver hair; it's a party."

Apparently proverbs had evolved since Tifa was a teen.

The girl seemed to get on with the others well, at least. The first time she met Nanaki, she squealed.

"Your tail is _actual fire_! That is _so cool_!"

And to Tifa's surprise, Nanaki preened. Tifa supposed none of them had actually said that to him, though they'd all thought it at some time or other. They hadn't wanted to make him feel different...

_So much for sensitivity._

Cid, meanwhile, liked having a helper. Cloud was quiet, as usual, but he didn't mind if Lea sat with him and chatted enough for two. Yuffie was off travelling, Reeve was working in Midgar, and Barret was in Kalm, helping Marlene with his grandchildren; Tifa was the only one who found the girl irritating.

Then, one foggy morning, she almost tripped over Lea, who was sitting hunched over on the grass just outside the inn.

"Oh, hey," said Lea. She tore at the grass around her. Her thick mascara was smudged.

"Something wrong?" Tifa recovered her balance.

Lea laughed nervously. "I'm being daft. Just getting worked up, worrying about dad, you know?" Her voice sounded brittle.

Tifa felt a pang, remembering her own father.

"You saw the papers?" said Lea.

Tifa nodded, wondering where this was going. The morning's front page had featured a lurid piece about Scarlet having sold weapons to Wutai during the war. It had been accompanied by a photo of the disgraced Director, haughty as ever, in her red dress and diamonds.

Tifa had never forgotten that terror. Exposed pipes, orange lights, thick leather straps binding her wrists to the chair, the stench of gas. Gazing at the newspaper photo, she had wished she could reach through the page and wrap her hands around the bitch's neck. Squeeze. But Scarlet was safe in her new office, behind layer upon layer of reinforced glass. After the battle with the Proud Clod, AVALANCHE had thought they'd seen the last of Scarlet and Heidegger, at least, but the pair had turned up alive and well right after meteorfall. Barely a scratch. The worst ones always survived.

"So," said Lea, now, "that scandal about Scarlet supplying weapons to Wutai? That's dad. Declaring war, because they targeted me. He picks fights he's never going to win, and gets the shit kicked out of him, then just goes and does it again. He's _covered_ in scars. He pisses everyone off. Like, Shinra Director-level everyone. He's an idiot."

"He'll be okay," said Tifa. She hoped it was true. She knew the Shinra. She didn't like the girl, but she wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.

"I should be with him," said Lea, pulling out thin blades of grass.

Tifa tried to put a brave face on it. "He wants to keep you safe, right?"

Lea sighed. "Yeah, I get it. But he shouldn't be on his own. He gets lonely. And when he gets sad, he does stupid shit. Takes risks, thinks he can save the world. He needs people around to keep him normal. I don't remember mum much, to be honest, but I wish... well, you know."

Tifa felt another pang of sympathy. She had also lost her mother, young.

_'Lost'. I didn't 'lose' her. She's_ _**gone** _ _._

The pain was still with her, all these years later. It would be with her until she died. Maybe after, if the Nibelheim underworld myths were to be believed. She looked at the skinny girl with the brown bobcut, curled up on the grass in front of her. Cid had taught her that there was only one thing anyone could do in a situation like this.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Tifa asked.

*

Over the next couple of months, AVALANCHE got used to the pair. Occasionally, they saw Turks milling around outside, and Lea and Rise would retreat to their room, just in case. Everything AVALANCHE experienced bore out the fugitives' story.

"The girl smells like Midgar," Nanaki confirmed. "What I saw of it, anyway."

Yuffie returned from her travels. Tifa was pleased to see the ninja was also suspicious, at first; it felt like evidence that she herself wasn't overly cynical and bitter.

"Your dad works for the Shinra?" Yuffie threw herself down on the inn sofa, shoving Cloud out of the way. He'd been pretending to read-- avoiding Tifa, probably. Yuffie picked a tooth with a finger. "Sounds like an asshole."

Tifa tensed, wondering if there would be a fight, but Lea shrugged.

" _Everyone_ works for Shinra in Midgar." She put her feet up on her chair. "Besides, he doesn't do evil shit, like, oh, I don't know, kill people's _dogs_." She glared pointedly at Cloud. Cloud looked puzzled. Tifa supposed there were all sorts of negative rumours about AVALANCHE floating around Midgar. She quite liked the idea of there being negative rumours about Cloud.

Time passed. Tifa was made starkly aware of this when, one morning, emptying the bin, she noticed a brown dye packet. None of them were getting any younger, but it was a shock to realise that Yuffie was also going grey. As she returned from the outside bins, entering the lobby, she inspected a handful of her own hair. Silver streaks; time to re-dye. It wasn't really about getting older, for her; more a horror of silver hair. She imagined they all knew the feeling.

She wanted to go back up to her room, but instead, she forced herself to take a seat in the lobby, awkwardly. They were expecting Reeve to visit that evening; she wanted to get the greeting out of the way so she could scuttle off and be on her own. Lea, Cloud, Yuffie and Nanaki were dotted around on the sofas. With unease, Tifa noticed Lea's cup, perched precariously on the armrest of her sofa. They were commiserating; Lea had been unable to leave the inn that day, as the grounds had been swarming with Turks.

"They really do get everywhere," said Nanaki, whipping his tail from side to side on the edge of the sofa. Tifa was pleased to see he'd angled himself so the tail poked _off_ the chair; there had been an early mishap involving three burning cushions. "We even saw the Shinra nosing around in the City of the Ancients, once. We never did find out why."

"Ooh," said Lea, plucking at her silver necklace. "You mean when Shinra tried to retrieve the White Materia?'

"What?"

"Oh yeah, it was this whole thing!" Lea grinned. "So, Tseng and Elena went diving-- Shinra figured, White Materia stopped meteor once, could be useful to keep it around."

Cloud's face tensed. "Only a Cetra can use the White Materia..."

"Eh, for now," said Lea. "Who knows what Shinra science can do." Oblivious to the unease and offense she'd caused, she went on, "Anyway! So they went diving, only, turns out there is some seriously weird shit at the bottom of that lake."

Every member of AVALANCHE flinched.

Lea didn't notice, and continued, "It's before I was born, but you guys saw WEAPON, right? Big monster things?'

"Yes..." said Tifa, remembering the gruelling battles with Ruby and Emerald. She ran her hands down her arms, feeling the bumpy scars.

"The planet made them, as guardians," added Nanaki.

"Yeah, that's what the hippies say," said Lea. "Dad reckons the Ancients made them, but like we'll ever know. So, anyway, turns out, there's like a whole bunch of... proto-WEAPONS? hanging about in the lake in the City of the Ancients. So, Tseng and Elena are underwater, splish splash splish, 'Oh hey what's this lump on the floor?', lump twitches, splits in two, it's an _eye_ , oh _shit_ , floor is monster, monster's the size of a house; swim for their lives, monster shoots _fire_ , oh fuck there are _three_ of them, make it out of the water and _run_ for their lives, still in flippers, get to helicopter, nope the fuck out of there, monster _shoots fire_ at helicopter, helicopter is fire, Tseng crashes it over the hills south of midgar, breaks like alllll his ribs? Elena half carries him to midgar, their ID is toast so they can't get in. Elena tries to fight the sector guard since Tseng needs meds like _now_ , guard calls for reinforcements, they get _arrested_ , slum-jail time, dad's freaking out like 'where the fuck _are_ they?', there's this whole thing, Reno ends up wandering around the slums for four days looking for 'em, eventually Elena shows up at the Honeybee Inn and they go retrieve Tseng, and that's why Tseng freaks out every time he gets a cold. Coughing _hammers_ his chest."

"Lea!" Rise had walked in partway through. "That's _probably_ classified information!"

"Eh, so what,' said Lea. 'What's Shinra going to do?"

"You're giving classified information to _AVALANCHE_."

Lia flipped her fringe out of her eyes. "And they're looking after me; what's your point?"

Rise sighed. "I'm telling your father. And Tseng will make you regret it, if he hears about it."

Lea snickered at that. "Nah, Tseng's just grumpycat. He's all talk. He never actually does anything."

Rise stared at her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She marched over to Lea, and shoved up her sleeve.

"Nice arm," said Lea, taken aback.

Rise pointed. "See that scar? Tseng. Don't fuck around with him."

Lia peered at the large, white scar that sliced across her upper arm. "Whoa, what did you do, spoil his favourite soap?"

"Never you mind." She turned to the others. "Can you please help me convince her that Tseng of the Turks is someone she definitely does _not_ want to antagonize?"

"Isn't it a bit late for that?" said Tifa. "If he's already sending men after you?" To her surprise, Rise blushed. Lea looked like she was holding back laughter.

"You're right, of course," Rise bowed her head. "What I meant was, this is still just a job to him. I don't want him taking a personal interest."

Tifa nodded. That made more sense.

"Sephiroth struck Tseng with his masamune, once," said Cloud, to Lea. "And Tseng's still alive. Only other person who can say that is Tifa." He looked at her with unfair, manipulative admiration. She turned away.

"Oh, well I know Tseng gets injured all the time," said Lea. "But it's a running joke. You hear about the time he got kidnapped in Wutai?"

"Ooh, no?" said Yuffie, leaning forward with a grin.

"Stop. Talking." Rise took Lea by the arm. "Come on, help me get firewood."

"But--"

"Now." And Rise dragged Lea toward the door. They were almost on the threshhold, when it creaked open, and Reeve walked in. His eyes met Lea's.

"Oh, shit," she said.

Reeve stared back. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Tifa frowned at him. "You know her?"

"I just have one of those faces," said Lea, as everyone peered at her.

Reeve didn't take the hint. " _Know_ her? Tifa, this is President Shinra's kid!"


	3. Chapter 3

Lia groaned, as everyone turned to stare at her. "Reeve, you _fuckwit_."

"Shinra?!" AVALANCHE spoke as one.

"Leandra Shinra, the president's daughter-- did you really not notice?" Reeve frowned. "I know Rufus has his methods with the paparazzi, and she's normally more ging-- er, blonde-- but she's on Midgar's _stamps_."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Lea. She trudged back to the sofa and slumped over, head in her hands. Tufts of brown hair stuck out between her fingers. "Shout it from the top of the rocket outside, why don't you? Dad's trying to _hide_ me here..."

~flashback~

"AVALANCHE are strong, soft-hearted, and halfwitted," said Rufus, sipping a martini. He was sitting at the top of the Shinra building, which was a few floors shorter than it had used to be. "It's the best place for her."

"Very smart," said Tseng. "Nobody will look for her there. Who would ever expect a plan like _that_?" He poured himself whiskey. A lot of whiskey.

"Well, you know what they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." Rufus passed Tseng the ice, eyes gleaming.

"I prefer the Turks' version."

"What's that?"

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies dead." Tseng dropped ice into his glass. He looked like he wanted to drop the President into the freezing liquid, too, shrink him down… But he didn’t have a transform materia to hand.

"That's why nobody likes you, Tseng. She'll be fine."

"You recall you tried to _gas them to death_?"

"That was one time."

"Not one time too many?"

"They killed my dog."

~end flashback~

AVALANCHE got to their feet. Tifa moved toward Lea, but suddenly Rise was between them.

"I'm going to need to ask you all to take a step back.” Rise pulled a gun. She raised her other hand to her mouth, speaking into the watch on her wrist. "Director, we're in trouble; we have a Code 'Told You So', repeat, we have a Code 'Told You So'."

"Noted." The voice that replied from the watch was unmistakable: Tseng. "I'll get the boss on the line."

Tifa looked at Rise. "You're a Turk."

"Well, what else would she be?' said Lea, before quailing under Tifa's glare.

"Please, take another step back," said Rise.

Everyone stayed where they were.

"I know it looks bad," said Lea, wriggling in her seat, "but, like, it's still mostly the same, honest."

"Uh huh," said Cloud. Every member of the party wore an identical glare.

"No, honest--" Lea made an expansive gesture. She knocked her cup of tea onto the floor; the porcelain shattered. "Ah, crap. Whatever." The liquid spread across the planks as she continued. "Sooo, dad annoyed the directors. And someone shot at me. Ooookay, so it was a BB-gun, but still, it spooked dad. So then, I was _meant_ to go hide in Wutai for a bit, with Tseng, but you know, I think dad just planned that to piss Tseng off, because they'd been fighting, and we all know what Tseng's like with Wutai..." She finally seemed to notice Nanaki's bared teeth, Yuffie's hand tightening on her shuriken, Tifa's fingers curling into fists... "Anyway! Okay, so, we kinda staged a Turk attack so you'd come rescue me; we figured AVALANCHE would be the first on the scene, because you're nice like that! And you'd make the _best_ security team! So, see, it's basically praise!"

"Uh huh," said Cid, this time, boot tapping on the floor, vein throbbing in his neck. "So you're telling me that guy I 'rescued' you from..."

"Heh, um, sorry, kinda awkward, huh?" Lea made a token effort to pick up the shards of her cup, then gave up. "Yeahhh, it was meant to be Tseng, but in the rehearsals, he was all like 'oh no. it's avalanche. whatever will i do.' and just kinda stood there, so dad was like 'fuck you', so we held auditions and we got Dodd to do it instead. But like, see, that's the only fake bit, really! We didn't really lie. We just... went a bit hazy on the details." Lea gave a winning smile.

It was insufficient.

"I think you should probably leave," said Cloud, pointing at the door. His mako eyes, narrowed, cast an eerie glow on his cheeks.

Lea's eyes were wide. "But they really will kill me! I told you, we're not lying about that part!"

"Welp, that's your problem," said Yuffie. "Next time, have a dad who's not literally the worst person on the planet." She tapped her shuriken against her shoulder.

"But, but, I like you guys," said Lea. Her head whipped round, from one AVALANCHE member to the next, her silver necklace trembling. "Come on, remember when we made the Cloud scarecrow out front, with the chocobo feathers on the head? I thought we were cool!"

"Your _father_ has an army, right?" said Tifa, furious that she had ever felt sympathy for the girl. "And his Turks. So I don't think you need anything more from _us_."

Lea grimaced. "Turks, yes, army, not so much. Heidegger and Scarlet, there's this whole coup thing, it's a stalemate but it's real ugly, we--"

"I. Don't. Care." said Tifa. "Get. Out."

"But--"

"Oh, dear," from the speaker on Rise's watch came Rufus Shinra's voice. His face was visible on the dial, a coin-sized video feed. Tseng was next to him, half his face offscreen. "Looks like we were wrong to assume Reeve's academic qualifications would translate to brainpower."

"What?" said Reeve.

"Quite," said Tseng. "He sees the president's daughter, in coloured contacts, hair dyed, incognito among the enemy; he immediately informs everyone that it's the president's daughter. Bravo, Mr. Tuesti, Bravo."

Both men clapped.

"I didn't realise she was in _disguise_ ," said Reeve in consternation. "Teens change their hair all the time! _My_ daughters--"

"Oh, so you work your children into every conversation?" said Rufus. "And here I thought you reserved it for board meetings. Anyhow, it's too late now. I gather my daughter has saved me the trouble of explaining; thank you, Lea."

"No problem!" Lea gave a nervous laugh.

"So, how do we come to an agreement?" said Rufus. He leaned forward. "I'd like to continue using your bodyguard services, for the foreseeable future."

" _Bodyguard_?" said Tifa. "We're not offering a _service_! We never agreed to--"

"I'm prepared to pay," said Rufus. "Name your price." He inspected his cufflinks.

"We don't want your money," said Cloud.

"Alright, do it for free," said Rufus.

"Arrogant son of a..." muttered Cid.

Nanaki growled.

"Get bent!" said Yuffie.

"She needs to leave," said Cloud.

"Now," added Tifa.

The president shook his head. "It's not safe. She'll be killed."

"Sucks to be her," said Yuffie. She dug in her pocket, and pulled out a yellow globe of materia. Normally, materia that entered Yuffie’s pockets never left them, but today was unusual (and, okay, it was a level 1 _scan_ _)_. She threw it; it hit Lea in the shoulder.

"Ouch! What did I ever do to you?" said Lea. "You guys are so mean." She stretched out on the sofa, rubbing her shoulder, and rolled onto her stomach. "Fine. You'll have to carry me outta here; they will _totally_ kill me, I'm not even kidding."

“It won’t come to that,” said Rufus, quickly.

"You'd sentence her to death?" Tseng addressed AVALANCHE.

Nobody replied.

“Seriously?” said Lea. “You _guys._ Fine, _whatever._ ” She pulled her phone out and started playing some kind of moogle-themed platformer, with loud sound effects. “Let’s see if I can beat my highscore before I _totally die._ ”

“Please,” said Rise, gun still raised.

“She _is_ a child,” pointed out Tseng. Lea’s phone bleeped in agreement.

"Shinra's Shinra," said Tifa. She would not be tricked into welcoming them. Not again.

"Hm," said Tseng.

There was a pause. The only sounds came from Lea’s phone: a MIDI victory theme followed by more bleeps. They stood so still, even the planks underfoot didn’t creak.

Then Tseng spoke again, in a tone that suggested he was savouring a private joke. "I'm interested to know what Mr. Highwind thinks."

Tifa turned around to look at Cid. He scratched his head, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Now came the creak of the planks.

"Cid..." she warned.

"... She's just a kid," said Cid. He pulled out the cigarette from behind his ear, and turned it over and over. "If it's true..."

"It's true!" said Lea, scrambling back up. "If you send me out there, I'll die! I've got to stay with you! You're the best fighters on the planet!"

"Take it as a compliment," said Tseng.

"I don't believe this," said Tifa. "Cid, how can you?"

Cid scratched his neck. "Aw, c'mon, Tifa, her old man's a jerk, but--"

"A jerk? A _jerk_? He tried to have me _executed_!" She still had nightmares, even now. All her nightmares involved the Shinra.

"AVALANCHE killed my dog," Rufus pointed out.

Tseng's face sank into his palm.

"Your _dog_?" said Tifa, shaking with anger. "The Shinra killed my _father_ , burned down my _home_ \--"

"Tifa..." said Cid.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, they cancelled your pet project once. I know, it's exactly the same." She folded her arms. "This is sick. You want me to play happy families with the Shinra, with _Turks_ \--"

"What's so bad about the Turks?" said Lea.

Tseng gave a snort.

"Sector 7!" Tifa rounded on Lea. "The _plate_!"

Lea looked at her blankly. "What happened in Sector 7?"

"Come on," Rufus interrupted. "That was an ugly business, but people in glass houses shouldn’t throw grenades. I know AVALANCHE are a bit dim-- I've been counting on it, actually-- but it turns out bombs do actually kill people, and I think, when you tally it up, it works out about the same--"

"Shut up!" said Tifa. "We are _nothing_ like you. We saved the the planet from people like you!"

"What?" said Rufus. He sounded genuinely confused.

"Sir, this might not be the best time for this argument--" said Tseng, but Rufus ignored him.

"Come again? 'Saved the planet'... I recall that was your rhetoric, but I as I remember, we did the background checks and it was about revenge?"

"Sir," Tseng tried again.

"No, you've lost me." Rufus shook his head. "Okay, humour me-- aside from killing a few innocents and almost bumbling your way into the apocalypse, what did AVALANCHE actually _do_?"

"We defeated _Sephiroth_ ," said Cloud, through gritted teeth.

Rufus shrugged. "Only because I destroyed his barrier. Not that it made a difference; the meteor still came down. The meteor he summoned with the materia _you_ gave him, after you convinced some nitwit to solve the puzzles in the Ancients' Temple-- next time, Reeve, stick to sudoku."

Reeve shuffled on the spot.

Tifa thumped the sofa. "Shinra _created_ Sephiroth--"

"Shinra created _trains_. Again, if you keep a tally--"

"I can't believe this," said Tifa.

"You've never made much sense," continued Rufus. "So, Midgar's ticking along, not perfect, but stable. My old man was generous, all things considered. People pay taxes, Shinra invests them for the public good. Much better than, say, Wutai, where I gather all the wealth goes to one stupid family?"

"You watch your mouth," said Yuffie.

"Well, don't ask me, I don't have a chocobo in this race-- but Tseng says Shinra's positively socialist by comparison."

"It is," said Tseng.

"There you are, then," said Rufus. "So, all's well-- but then some band of crazed religious extremists appear and start spreading bizarre dogma about reactors taking "spirit energy" from the planet. Nonsense. It's just _fuel_. Whatever-- but _then_ they get fanatical enough to _kill_ people over it, because, what, they fear science?"

At some point, Tifa's jaw had dropped open. "The scientists of Cosmo Canyon--"

"That's a name for a bar, not a settlement," said Rufus.

Nanaki growled. "Grandfather was an ex-Shinra scientist!"

"Yes, well, that's not saying much," said Rufus. "Under my old man, you could make a mint as a crackpot."

"Sephiroth, meteor, WEAPON--"

"Lucky guess," Rufus flipped his hair. "Hindsight is 20/20, but I was right to be skeptical, based on the evidence I had. You know, I _was_ glad when I realised you were all just out for revenge. Gave me a bit of faith in the world."

"It's _not_ just revenge," said Tifa. "You were draining the life from the planet-- and you still _are_. The reactors-- nothing grows in Midgar-- you're a monster."

Cloud rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Aeris could hear the planet screaming--"

"Heh," Rufus nudged Tseng. "Remember when you tried to get her some antipsychotics?"

The buster sword smashed through a table.

*

Half an hour later, Rise's wristwatch safely muted, something approaching civil conversation resumed.

"I know her dad's trash," said Cid. "Sorry, kid," he added, with a nod at Lea, "but it's the truth." He turned back to the others. "But we can't turn the girl out onto the street." Cid folded his arms. "Hell, if y'all won't help, she can come home with Shera and me."

"Thank you," said Rise, before Lea could argue about her father, "We appreciate it. But that's no good. If you're alone, the Directors can overwhelm you. We need a full party."

"Well?" Cid looked at the others.

Nanaki gazed down at his paws.

"Count me out," said Yuffie.

"I don't know..." said Cloud.

"How dare he?" Tifa muttered to herself. "We saved the planet! We Saved. The. Planet. And he wants to _argue_ with that?"

Reeve had shuffled out, to make tea.

"Excuse me," said Rise. She tapped her watch. "Okay. I've turned off my microphone; they can't hear us. I know you have no reason to listen to me-- but I think maybe there's a solution. There are some small energy companies, Shinra competitors, springing up; you've probably seen some of the adverts? Now, you have leverage over the President. Have you considered..."

*

And so, some time later, the negotiations staggered toward a close.

"Alright, so," said Rufus. "You'll look after her, provided I redirect 10% of revenue to Gaia Solar?"

"80%!"

"Should be 100%," muttered Yuffie.

"Operating costs!" protested Rufus. "15%, and we'll call it a deal. That's really as high as I can go."

"Bullshit," said Yuffie.

"Da-ad," said Lea.

"17 _._ "

Lea looked around at AVALANCHE hopefully.

"I can send over the breakdown, if it helps," said Rufus. "We're still feeling the effects of the mako poisoning epidemic after meteorfall. Magic-allergies, you know? Means we've had to invest more in researching alternative medicines. Supplying healthcare to a city the size of Midgar is complex--"

"Don't push it," said Cid. "We all know that money ain't going on _healthcare_."

"Believe what you want. Though, I'm curious. Are you going to contribute any of your own hard-earned funds to the cause? Or are you all good and retired?"

Tifa glared. She wasn't going to let him hold this over the team. "We'll give them 50%, at least!"

Rufus raised his eyebrows. "Very generous. Well, you know what they say about fools and their money. Now, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to get this wrapped up. I have a meeting--"

"Fine," said Cloud. "If it stops you from talking. We'll keep her here. Any objections?"

Silence. Nobody was _happy_ with the situation, but the alternative didn't look great-- they'd be signing up for continued harrassment by Shinra, and they'd be mocked for walking away from the opportunity to help the planet-- maybe rightly. The accusations of hypocrisy had hit hard, even coming from the mouth of a villain. They'd all had sleepless nights over those questions. Plus, enough time had passed from the initial shock of Lea's deception that they were feeling more uneasy about leaving her to the wolves. She _was_ just a kid. She wasn't her father.

"Alright," said Tifa. Everyone nodded.

"It's a deal," said Rufus.

"For now," said Cloud.

"To new friends." Rufus raised his glass over the videolink, which almost prompted AVALANCHE to throw Lea out right then and there.

"Don't you dare--" started Tifa. But the president had already hung up.

"Thanks a million!" said Lea. She hugged each of them in turn. Most gave surly nods, unblinking-- though Cid gave her the usual hair-ruffle, half out of habit. AVALANCHE left the room, to conference among themselves.

"Boo, awkward," said Lea, as the door shut behind them, leaving only her and Rise in the lobby.

"Give them time," said Rise.

Lea gazed at the door. "I know, I know..." She sighed, and flopped down on the sofa. She cracked a weak smile. "By the way, nice work back there."

"Oh?" said Rise, face blank.

"Don't 'oh' me. Wanna bet on how long it takes them to notice who owns Gaia Solar...?"


End file.
